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The reason that Jays’ GM Alex Anthopoulos never had to worry about losing his job following a disappointing 75-win season was not the result of what he created on the field. Instead, it was the impact last off-season’s roster moves made off the field. The Jays, favoured to advance to the World Series all winter by oddsmakers in Vegas, increased their attendance by 436,899 over 2012. As a business, it was mission accomplished. As a contender, it was abysmal failure.

The important attendance resurgence began last November via a blockbuster trade with the Marlins and the subsequent signing of outfielder Melky Cabrera. There was an immediate buzz, an excitement for the Jays not seen since 1994, that resulted in “Let’s go Blue Jays” chants at Raptors and Leafs games. Jays’ swag flew off the shelves and advance ticket orders made the deal pay for itself.

When Anthopoulos made a December trade for Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey it completed an attitude transformation toward baseball in the city. But now, his job is officially on the line. The Jays cannot afford to take a step back in attendance. That means, simply, that another losing season is unacceptable. It suggests the GM can’t wait until the holiday season, or later, to make another impact. Jays fans are not in a forgiving mood. Attendance is the key. Thus the GM’s job hangs in the balance.

Nobody wants to see Anthopoulos fail. As a public service from this space, here is what he must do, in no particular order — but sooner rather than later.

Acquire a catcher: The move that will make the biggest difference is finding a catcher to take the lion’s share of the starting load away from J.P. Arencibia. That does not mean you have to get rid of Arencibia. Just make sure he is not the main man. The Jays were last in catcher’s batting average (.194) and on-base (.235) and those are only the main stats that jump off the page.

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Numbers don’t tell the full story regarding how much having Arencibia as a starter behind the plate cost the Jays in 2013. He regressed in many areas of the game, most especially at the plate, but also in understanding leadership. Not one starting pitcher overachieved. There is nobody on the coaching staff, among the pitchers or the front office that will ever go public with harsh criticism, but the differences will be palpable with a different catcher in the lead role.

Free agent candidates for the role of starting 50 to 75 per cent of Jays’ games include A.J. Pierzynski, Jose Molina (again) and John Buck (again). They should stay away from free agents Brian McCann of the Braves, due to cost, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia who lost his starting Red Sox job, when it counted in the World Series, to journeyman David Ross. Don’t make a catching decision because of Dickey and his knuckleball. That was a mistake last winter.

Hire Trey Hillman as bench coach: When manager John Gibbons was out of work after 2008, his old friend, Royals’ manager Trey Hillman hired him as bench coach. Hillman was fired as a Dodgers’ coach after the ’13 season and the Jays have a vacancy. Every manager has a close friend on his staff and though Gibbons gets along with all of his coaches, none are as close as Hillman.

If Hillman is named bench coach, Demarlo Hale could move back to third base with Luis Rivera heading across the diamond to first base, where he could focus on the infield defence and base running. The Jays should also add former major-leaguer Sal Fasano as a fulltime coach with responsibilities for catching and in support of Pete Walker and Pat Hentgen.

Trade Adam Lind: Anthopoulos already picked up the first club option on Lind not out of personal affection but because Lind represents an asset, tradable inventory and provides too much value to even think of buying out, at least as a left-handed platoon at DH or first base. He will make $7 million for 2014, plus options for 2015-16 at $7.5-$8 million. Even the tight-fisted Rays are interested.

Stay with what you have at second base: The Jays have two second baseman in the mix right now – Ryan Goins and Maicer Izturis. Anthopoulos admitted in September that he had undervalued defence when it came to roster-building. A year ago, he was in love with and even kicked the tires on guys like Dan Uggla, settling for Emilio Bonifacio. Twelve months later, of all of his needs, second base has become the least of his concerns, as long as these guys can play defence.

Acquire a shorter-term free agent starting pitcher: There are young free-agent pitchers available that are looking for contracts of five-plus years. The feeling here is that the Jays will be seeking something more like two years plus an option, if only because if things don’t go well this year, there may be a new GM in place who should not inherit burdensome guaranteed salary.

Leading the list of reliable veteran starters in that short-term category are Ryan Vogelsong (Giants), Bronson Arroyo (Reds) and Dan Haren (Nationals). Any younger pitcher can be acquired in trade.

Look for a free-agent pitcher that could have a rebound: Anthopoulos talks about left-hander Scott Kazmir as the type of free-agent rebound that can key a team into contention. After missing two full years, the 29-year-old Kazmir signed with the Indians, responding with a 10-9 record and a 4.04 ERA in 29 starts. He had a small guarantee, plus bonuses for performance and days-on-the-active roster. Kazmir is available, but his price has gone up. He is a model for what the Jays need.

Listen to offers for Bautista: There is no downside to listening to offers for their star slugger. However, the truth is that teams wanting to contend need two big bats in the middle of the order. For the Jays, Edwin Encarnacion and Bautista, when healthy, provide a world-class duo. Bautista has been injured the past two seasons, missing time down the stretch. Moving Bautista would not be a salary dump because it is a team-friendly contract, with two years remaining. But it does not hurt to listen. Bautista is no longer an untouchable, but he and the GM have a special relationship.

Seal trades, if necessary, with a reliever: The Jays are deep in strong-armed relief pitchers and should take advantage of that fact. Relief pitchers will not gain you a meaningful return in trade in and of themselves, but can be the key in closing a deal. Not many teams have as many late-inning options — Casey Janssen, Sergio Santos, Steve Delabar, Aaron Loup and Brett Cecil.

The only way that the Jays will improve and be a true contender in 2014, the only way that Anthopoulos keeps his job, the only way that fans will stay on board, is if the 36-year-old fifth-year GM has learned from his mistakes of the past 12 months. Anthopoulos has spoken about not being in a hurry, that there is no need to rush. This is not a lost cause, but yes he does need to move quickly.

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